Young women 'have more sexual partners' than men

Young women are more promiscuous than men, according to a survey that claims the average 21-year-old has had nine sexual partners compared with seven for men.

By Martin Beckford, Social Affairs Correspondent

8:49PM GMT 08 Dec 2008

The poll of 2,000 by the magazine More also found that one in four young women has slept with more than 10 people, compared with one in five men who had done the same.

In addition, half of those questioned admitted they had been unfaithful, whereas only a quarter said they had been cheated on by a boyfriend.

It comes just a week after an academic study branded Britain one of the casual sex capitals of the Western world, with residents having more one-night stands and more liberal attitudes than those in Australia, France, the Netherlands, Italy and the US.

Lisa Smosarski, the editor of More, said: "Our results show that after decades of lying back and thinking of England, today's twenty-something women are taking control of their sex lives and getting what they want in bed."

The magazine's survey found that few young women today hold to traditional views on sexual morality.

Just 1 per cent of young women said they would want to get married before having sex, with the majority losing their virginity at 16.

More than half said they were not in love with their first partner, and only one in three believe it is important to be in love with someone before going to bed with them.

Seven out of 10 said they had had a one-night stand, with a fifth admitting to having had more than five casual encounters.

In addition, 60 per cent said they would be prepared to do a "kiss-and-tell", and would sell their account of a one-night-stand with a famous person for £20,000.

Four out of 10 said they would marry for money or sleep with their boss if it meant they would get promoted, while a quarter would have an affair with a married man.

The survey also found young women are taking "huge risks" with their health, with 38 per cent not using a condom with a new partner and 16 per cent having contracted a sexually transmitted disease.

However the respondents still claimed they are not having as much sex as they would like, with 13 per cent claiming their love life is "disappointing" and a further 10 per cent calling it "non-existent".

According to the survey, the average young woman has sex three times a week but would prefer to do it five times.